Ofsted Chief Warns Of Change For Childminder Regulations

[Guest lucyevans]

http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/News/MostRead/1120315/Ofsted-chief-warns-change-childminder-regulations/

 

Sir Michael also hinted that childminders could be taken out of the Ofsted inspection regulation and inspection process and considered separately from other early years settings, because the cost of registering childminders was high.

Sir Michael said, ‘In childminding, the registration process is pretty expensive.We spend a lot of money on it. But we need to think about the future and how we inspect childminding institutions. I don’t think we can carry on doing it as we have been doing. Every time a youngster goes into a childminding setting….two children…that’s unsustainable.

 

'We need to think how we network childminder institutions with high performing children’s centres and Sure Start and nurseries.’

 

http://www.ncma.org.uk/news_and_events/news/march_2012_news/ncma_demands_ofsted_response.aspx

[HoneyPancakes]

Wow! Thanks for that. The article is a bit gappy, but I do think the network system could work just as well as Ofsted registration. I must say that my recent experience of Children Come First assessment was equally tough, if not tougher, than Ofsted, and much more regularly carried out. Maybe those RCMs who want to offer Enhanced Provision could remain Ofsted Registered though.

 

This is probably going to be contentious because there has been a lot of effort put into making Childminders more 'professional' and 'respected' as Early Years providers, but what we do is subtly different. Celebrate our differences I say (she writes after evening in hospital and end of week glass of wine).

 

Honey

[waveawand]

Hiya one and all,

Gosh Im not too impressed with this article. Im all in favour of celebrating our differences though it seems Mr Wilmshaw isnt at all. Not sure how the networking thing works if anyone has time to explain I would be grateful. Sounds to me though that they want us to work throught existing institutions ie children centres or have I misread it ? Eitherways its a miracle we do what we do and maintain a quality provision - on our own as we are multi-tasking. Seems to me this is about saving money not looking after that sadly increasing phenonmenon that the 'Family unit' or substitute one ie childminders.

Cant help but think that this doesnt bode well for us. They want us all out of homes into the formal workplace ( to become another number for the taxman)

To end on a positive, I'm am slightly heartened that we have quite a few to shout our cause though.

[Pimms o'clock?]

I read this and the thing I drew from it is that it is about value for money.

 

It costs the same to send an inspector out to inspect a CM as it does any other EY provision, where the childminder would have about eight children and others will have at least double that (anything from 16 to 100+).

 

So I read it this that they are trying to find a more cost effective regime for CM inspections - am I completely barking...?

[Guest]

Mmmmm :huh: left hand, right hand syndrome!?The CC's no longer have to support childminders as part of their remit - I wonder if anyone let Sir Michael know before he made his speech? It seems a little odd that he's made these comments without any alternate plans in place as to how childminders would be regulated and inspected. I'm a Network childminder already... do they intend that the 1 unannounced visit each year replaces a full Ofsted inspection? That seems a step backwards...

 

As a childminder who went through the transition from social services to Ofsted I feel a touch of 'been here, done that' about it. There's been a long held view that all the changes childminders have been through, including the introduction of EYFS, were an attempt to squeeze out those who weren't providing a service comparable with other providers.

 

I've sat through SO many Network meetings and training courses over the years where childminders have voiced their opinion that the powers that be find childminders hard to regulate and inspect as we each do things differently....albeit with the child and parent at the centre of it all... and would quite like us to be outlawed!

 

I'll watch and wait for developments with interest. My personal fear is that it will lead to the return to unregistered childminding, with existing childminders making informal arrangements with parents rather than jump through more hoops.

 

Nona

[waveawand]

looking after that sadly increasing phenonmenon that the 'Family unit'

 

youve guessed I meant to say" sadly DE-creasing phenomenom of the family unit " didnt you ? you clever ones !!!

Edited March 3, 2012 by waveawand

[Guest cathy m]

I am so annoyed about this and have been emailing others to make them aware of the situation. I find some of his comments absolutely insulting and he has set us back years. At times it is a difficult challenge for us to get the recognition we deserve and I had hoped that the EYFS would help us to be taken more seriously. Like Nona I also remember how things were Pre Ofsted and for many years I have had concerns about our unique form of childcare being changed by the powers that be.

I feel totally under valued and fear for our profession

[Guest Clonmany38]

The 1989 Children Act required Childminders to be Registered by their Local Authority and that the support and regulatory roles be separated as it was not appropriate for Officers who were supporting childcare providers to also Regulate, it was considered a conflict of interest.. These roles where transferred to Ofsted by the 2000 Care Standards Act. The main reason for these changes were to put in place to improve the quality of provision for all children attending childcare settings and to provide Consistent Regulation throughout the country, which it has to be admitted did not exist in many areas.

 

As Ofsted have already sub contracted the inspection of providers, to save costs, why do they think this will be cheaper if transferred back to the Local Authorities, who do not have spare capacity to take on the role?

 

Network coordinators are not inspectors, their role is to support the childminders within their network to improve and maintain good/outstanding practice. The vast majority of childminders do not have access to a network and a large percentage do not wish to become network minders.

 

I hope the National Childminding Association who introduced Childminding Networks, and operate many of those that continue to exist,are opposing these suggestions, the Association is there to support Childminders not to inspect them.

 

When the Early Years Register was proposed it was suggested that provision for children 5 to 8 did not need registering, it was only through pressure from the Childcare Providers that this was changed and the Ofsted Childcare Registers introduced, we need to continue to put pressure on the Government to a least maintain the current standard of Regulation in order to protect the thousands and thousands of children currently attending Childminders settings.

[HoneyPancakes]

The 1989 Children Act required Childminders to be Registered by their Local Authority and that the support and regulatory roles be separated as it was not appropriate for Officers who were supporting childcare providers to also Regulate, it was considered a conflict of interest.. These roles where transferred to Ofsted by the 2000 Care Standards Act. The main reason for these changes were to put in place to improve the quality of provision for all children attending childcare settings and to provide Consistent Regulation throughout the country, which it has to be admitted did not exist in many areas.

 

As Ofsted have already sub contracted the inspection of providers, to save costs, why do they think this will be cheaper if transferred back to the Local Authorities, who do not have spare capacity to take on the role?

 

Network coordinators are not inspectors, their role is to support the childminders within their network to improve and maintain good/outstanding practice. The vast majority of childminders do not have access to a network and a large percentage do not wish to become network minders.

 

I hope the National Childminding Association who introduced Childminding Networks, and operate many of those that continue to exist,are opposing these suggestions, the Association is there to support Childminders not to inspect them.

 

When the Early Years Register was proposed it was suggested that provision for children 5 to 8 did not need registering, it was only through pressure from the Childcare Providers that this was changed and the Ofsted Childcare Registers introduced, we need to continue to put pressure on the Government to a least maintain the current standard of Regulation in order to protect the thousands and thousands of children currently attending Childminders settings.

 

Excellent points, well put. I stand corrected.

 

Honey